His move comes after the demise of his father and veteran BJD leader Bansidhar Panda. The Kendrapara lawmaker was annoyed with the leadership of Naveen Patnaik and even came down heavily on Odisha Chief Minister.
In January, the ruling party had suspended Panda for his alleged role in anti-party activities. The BJD lawmaker is under the scanner of EC in the case of a false affidavit. Panda shot a letter to Patnaik, underlining the ongoing ugly politics in the state.